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A review by dani005
Stray by Rachael Craw
5.0
The second book in this series was even better than the last.
The first book was a just a spark to what Rachael Craw wrote in her second book, and I practically burned through these pages in whatever spare time I could get.
I love love loved getting to know the characters on such deeper levels. FINALLY I was seeing not as much of the cutesy romance, but the angst and frustration that comes with being in a relationship. No matter how perfect you might think you are for someone, your values may not always line up perfectly, especially when push comes to shove. I love seeing this strong, protective loyalty Jamie exhibits towards his sister in this novel as well as his flaws, the exposure of Jamie's need to have control in order to feel as though he can protect all of those he loves. I felt as though Jamie's character was further fleshed out in this novel. I may have already loved Evie from the resilience and fierce spirit from the last book, but my love for Jamie now is equally matched with Evie, if not more so. Because of this growing respect and adoration for these two main characters, watching their relationship take on such strenuous tests is even more intoxicating because I actually CARE for what happens between them. The lines aren't so clear anymore of what's wrong and what's right. These two love birds are finding out just what it means to love someone despite clashing values and priorities and it's this aspect that I find grounding, bring more depth to the story over all. I also loved how the politics of the affinity project shadowed all of the hard decisions that Evie and Jamie have to make. Society doesn't make any decision easy. There are always status quos to maintain, bureaucratic rules to uphold despite seeming pointless, and expectations that our protagonists would otherwise not listen too if it weren't for what was at stake.
The plot line moved so fast in this book, the twists and turns were engineered with such brilliant care. Craw developed these plot twists so subtly into her novel that they didn't necessarily seem outlandish but rather were thrilling exhilarating twists that had me staring at the pages in utter shock; I never saw half of what occurred in this book coming.
The ingenuity in incorporating such powerful characters both literally and figuratively in this novel allowed for such growth in this book's character over all. I enjoyed this story so much more for its depth, pace, and thrilling action. The ending was both so devastating and insanely EXCITING and it only left me wanting so much more. Rachael Craw PLEASE PLEASE hurry and write the third novel!
The first book was a just a spark to what Rachael Craw wrote in her second book, and I practically burned through these pages in whatever spare time I could get.
I love love loved getting to know the characters on such deeper levels. FINALLY I was seeing not as much of the cutesy romance, but the angst and frustration that comes with being in a relationship. No matter how perfect you might think you are for someone, your values may not always line up perfectly, especially when push comes to shove. I love seeing this strong, protective loyalty Jamie exhibits towards his sister in this novel as well as his flaws, the exposure of Jamie's need to have control in order to feel as though he can protect all of those he loves. I felt as though Jamie's character was further fleshed out in this novel. I may have already loved Evie from the resilience and fierce spirit from the last book, but my love for Jamie now is equally matched with Evie, if not more so. Because of this growing respect and adoration for these two main characters, watching their relationship take on such strenuous tests is even more intoxicating because I actually CARE for what happens between them. The lines aren't so clear anymore of what's wrong and what's right. These two love birds are finding out just what it means to love someone despite clashing values and priorities and it's this aspect that I find grounding, bring more depth to the story over all. I also loved how the politics of the affinity project shadowed all of the hard decisions that Evie and Jamie have to make. Society doesn't make any decision easy. There are always status quos to maintain, bureaucratic rules to uphold despite seeming pointless, and expectations that our protagonists would otherwise not listen too if it weren't for what was at stake.
The plot line moved so fast in this book, the twists and turns were engineered with such brilliant care. Craw developed these plot twists so subtly into her novel that they didn't necessarily seem outlandish but rather were thrilling exhilarating twists that had me staring at the pages in utter shock; I never saw half of what occurred in this book coming.
The ingenuity in incorporating such powerful characters both literally and figuratively in this novel allowed for such growth in this book's character over all. I enjoyed this story so much more for its depth, pace, and thrilling action. The ending was both so devastating and insanely EXCITING and it only left me wanting so much more. Rachael Craw PLEASE PLEASE hurry and write the third novel!